Spicy Southwest Chipotle Salad for #HotSummerEats

By Eliot, on June 8th, 2015

Today is the final day of #HotSummerEats which was organized by Culinary Adventures with Camilla. What a ride it’s been. Thanks, Cam! Camilla is so creative with her events and she definitely secures some of the best and most delicious sponsors. To win some of this great swag, remember that it is also the last day to enter the #HotSummerEats giveaway.

I’ve been on a salad kick recently and wanted to keep on track with that theme for the final post.

And, I wanted to highlight T.Lish‘s fabulous vinaigrettes and marinades. (Can you believe that Tiff from T.Lish sent all these great products to the #HotSummerEats participants?)

Place chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to a 1/2 inch uniform thickness. Place chicken in a shallow container. Pour over 1/2 c. T.Lish‘s Chipotle Vinaigrette and turn to coat all sides of chicken. Cover and refrigerate. Let marinate for at least one hour (flipping breast in the marinade after thirty minutes). (The remaining 1/4 c. of vinaigrette will be used to toss the salad. Do NOT use any leftover marinade for the salad.)

While the chicken is marinating, you can prep your ingredients for the salad.

Preheat grill to 375 F. When grill is ready, place chicken on grill. Cook about 5 minutes for the first side and about 4 minutes on the second side. Internal temperature should be 160 F. Remove chicken to a cutting board, tent with foil, and allow to rest while salad is assembled.

I like to assemble this salad as a composed salad of sorts. Just arrange the greens, tomatoes, avocado, corn and beans as you would like. Drizzle with 1/4 c. of T.Lish‘s Chipotle Vinaigrette, sprinkle with cilantro, and garnish with the tortillas. Or you can just put everything in a bowl and toss it together.

I was really pleased with how this salad appeared in these photos (with the exception of our pergola’s reflection in the platter). I was ready to serve dinner when The Hubs said, “What are these little tortilla strips for?”

Doh! Back outside I went after garnishing with the tortilla strips.

Then, I got me legs in the picture!

This photo will have to do!

Besides the deliciousness of the Chipotle Vinaigrette, I have to give some “shout-outs” to T.Lish‘s Asian Sesame Vinaigrette. Just for fun, I tossed a bit of leftover Greens and Beans Salad with the Asian Sesame Vinaigrette. Oh, my. I have officially revisited that recipe to include that dressing. And, then I massaged some kale with the same dressing and tossed with some toasted sliced almonds. Oh my goshness gracious! It was delicious. I have seen some recipes during this event using the Sweet Garlic and I cannot wait to try them.

Remember, this is the last day to enter the #HotSummerEats giveaway. Click here to enter.